Smart Cities Mission is an urban renewal and retrofitting program by the Government of India with a mission to develop 100 cities (the target has been revised to 109 cities) all over the country making them citizen friendly and sustainable. The Union Ministry of Urban Development is responsible for implementing the mission in collaboration with the state governments of the respective cities. The Government of India under the Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has a vision of developing 100 smart cities as satellite towns of larger cities by modernizing the existing mid-sized cities.

Smart Cities Awas Yojna Mission was launched by Prime MinisterNarendra Modi in June 2015. A total of ₹980 billion (US$15 billion) has been approved by the Indian Cabinet for development of 100 smart cities and rejuvenation of 500 others. ₹48,000 crore (US$7.1 billion) for the Smart Cities mission and a total funding of ₹50,000 crore(US$7.4 billion) for the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) has been approved by the Cabinet.

First batch of 20 cities selected in the second stage of competition will be provided with central assistance of ₹2 billion (US$30 million) each during this financial year followed by ₹1 billion (US$15 million) per year during the next three years. The remaining money has to come from the states, urban bodies and the consortium that they form with corporate entities. Also, 10 per cent of budget allocation will be given to states / union territories as incentive based on achievement of reforms during the previous year.

Urban Development Ministry had earlier released ₹2 crore (US$300,000) each to mission cities for preparation of Smart City Plans.

India will soon launch a hub and spoke model to set up science cities and science centres to encourage science and technology (S&T) incubators and create an enabling environment.

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This was announced by Minister of state for science & technology and earth sciences, Y.S. Chowdary, at a day long conference by industry chamber ASSOCHAM in New Delhi on Friday.

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In his inaugural address to the conference on ‘India: Entrepreneurial, Creative & Innovative’, Chowdary outlined the details of the project and insisted on the emphasis put on rural areas.

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“The entire country can be divided in five zones so that each zone can have a science city, so that number of science centres can be there whereby rural population and youngsters can have a lot of access,” he informed.

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Attract scientists from foreign countries

The initiative aims also at increasing the international attractiveness of India in the Science and Technology area.

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“In addition to that if we create a proper ecosystem like bird migration we can definitely attract many scientists from foreign countries because of environmental conditions,” he added.

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“India gives them very good weather conditions as there are many countries where we do not have productivity more than 4-5 months, at the most six months, so that is one area where we are seriously thinking,” the minister explained.

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India can also rely on its diaspora, with a huge network of Non Resident Indians (NRIs) and Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs). Indian scientists form already one of the biggest world network, connecting, – in a typical circular migration way, where people spend time abroad and come back to India, – innovative hubs such as the Silicon Valley, in California, with home centers of excellence and research, such as Bangalore (Karnataka) or Pune (Maharashtra).

Modi's Dream Project - Dholera Smart City
This project looks like a sci-fi city of the future! Check out the video below.

Dholera SIR is among the eight industrial regions planned in the first phase of the DMIC project.

The entire project covers an area of approximately 920 sq km and is a node strategically located near the industrial cities of Vadodara, Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Surat and Bhavnagar.

Since the entire trunk infrastructure cannot be implemented in one go, a phased approach has been adopted for the project and an Activation Area of 22.5 sq km has been identified which would act as catalyst for further investments and will provide a base for taking up development of the remaining area.
Monthly review meetings are being conducted at the highest level to ensure that the project issues are proactively addressed and the project completed ahead of schedule.
(By MikeSingh)

NEW DELHI: The azure seas and white coral beaches of Lakshadweep and the tropical lushness of Andaman & Nicobar have been identified as tourism growth zones with nine islands selected as part of a Niti Aayog masterplan.

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The islands are being seen as drivers of tourism and sustainable economic development on the lines of countries like Singapore that use water parks and natural resources to promote tourism, overcoming limited land areas while being mindful of conservation. Given ecological sensitivity of the islands, capacities will be limited, though current options for tourists will be improved.

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Options in Lakshadweep, which is seen as a high-end tourism destination, are limited compared to Andaman & Nicobar. Among the islands identified are Smith Island, Ross Island, Avis Island and Long Island in Andaman & Nicobar. In the Lakshadweep, Bangaram, Thinnakara, Suheli, Cheriyam and Minicoy are among those slotted for development. Tourist facilities in Lakshadweep are currently limited to Bangaram and a few other islands.

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"We are working on a masterplan for sustainable development of the nine islands," said Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant.

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The inclusion of Little Andaman, the biggest island in the chain with an area of 734.34 sqkm, almost equal in size to Singapore, came in for detailed discussion. According to Vivek Rae, former petroleum secretary who served as chief secretary of Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Singapore has earmarked 10% of of its area for parks and natural resources and is also ranked fourth globally in the environment performance index.

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In contrast 90% of the Andaman & Nicobar islands are notified as reserved or deemed forest with only 6% of land available for development. The plan has gained momentum after a recent PMOannouncement that the islands will be selected for infrastructure, tourism, agriculture (organic and fisheries) and renewable energy development.